Users of the World Wide Web are able to access a multitude of resources through the Internet. The resources include websites, file sharing sites, download sites, etc., from which users have the ability to access, transfer or download content/files, and generally interact online.
A user may or may not intentionally access a resource. For example, a user may intentionally visit a website or webpage, by typing the website or webpage's universal resource locator or URL on a web browser. The user then can be transferred to the website or webpage. As an example of an unintentional access to a resource, a user may receive a “hyperlink” to a resource, such as a website or webpage. The hyperlink may be part of a file or an email message. The user may be asked to click on and activate the hyperlink, the act of which sends the user to a site or resource.
The user may or may not have previously visited a resource. In certain cases, the user knows the resource. Often times the user is visiting a new resource, such as a previously unknown website or webpage. Or the user may be downloading a file from a site that the user has not previously used or visited. Sometimes, what the user thinks is a known resource, actually may be a different resource.
Therefore, a user can be exposed to unsafe or malevolent resources that can be harmful, the user having little or no knowledge as to the “safety” of such resources. Current browsers can attempt to assist and protect users, by providing warnings, such as pop up user interface warnings advising a user that a resource may not be safe. Typically, such interfaces or warnings are not well informed, and may not provide enough contextual information for a user to make an informed decision. For example, such warnings may not have enough information to provide the extent of the danger of the resource, or the degree of safety of the resource. Furthermore, such warnings are typically provided whenever the browser or application has no information as to the resources. Users may know this to be the case, or users may be preconditioned to such warnings, and simply ignore the warnings and proceed to a harmful resource. Such warnings typically provide a readily available click through interface to allow the user to proceed to the resource.